empty bowls and pricing- elaboration

updated tue 13 mar 01

Chris Schafale on sat 10 mar 01

I should have explained about the pricing. I know that these
projects are often done with a single fixed price -- and now perhaps
I know why -- but for this one, we decided to use individual pricing
because we wanted potters who don't make simple soup bowls to
feel free to donate larger, more elaborate, higher-priced items,
without the risk that they would be sold for a pittance. This was
based on feedback from some of the "name" potters, who said they
would have donated to our previous sale, except they couldn't see
their work going for 10 or 15 dollars.

We wanted to have the broadest possible variety of work, and be
as inclusive as possible, and this was a part of that strategy. It did
work, in the sense that we have some very nice high-end work, and
participation from some folks who would not otherwise have
contributed, but the pricing is a headache, as I'm discovering.

Cindy Strnad on sun 11 mar 01

Hi, Chris.

If the potters didn't send prices with their work, I suspect it doesn't
matter a great deal to them. I priced the bowl I sent you, but really, just
because you requested that--I don't care what you sell it for.

I think maybe you could just use your own judgement and be shut of the
problem. Separate the bowls out into groups (This one looks like it took a
lot of work, this one looks like it was made by a brand-new potter, this one
is about middle-of-the-road, etc.) and assign a set price to each pile.

Or, if that's too much to do, just give all the non-priced bowls a single
price designation. If people didn't send the prices, they can't complain
that you didn't follow them.

Lili Krakowski on mon 12 mar 01

Anyone else see the irony of Light One Candle pottery having to deal with
potters so important they do n ot want a charity to sell their stuff at a
reasonable price for charity?????

The whole POINT of going to these sales--for many people-- is that they
hope to find a tresure they could not otherwise afford, for a pricde they
can pay. BIG attraction..

Good publicity as well when the press covers

Lili Krakowski

Chris Schafale on mon 12 mar 01

You know, I can't help feeling that I didn't express myself very well
in my original posts, when I see comments like the following and a
couple of others.

> Anyone else see the irony of Light One Candle pottery having to deal with
> potters so important they do n ot want a charity to sell their stuff at a
> reasonable price for charity?????

It's emphatically not that these potters thought they were so
almighty wonderful that they didn't want to lower themselves, but
rather that, as Snail has commented, giving away a $50 piece to
be sold for $10 is not the most effective use of your work -- if what
you want is to further the work of the Food Bank, better to sell the
work and give the charity the $50 directly.

There are other reasons for participating in Empty Bowls, and I
would never want to discourage anyone from contributing, but I do
think that the usual pattern of grossly underpricing professionals'
work at these events might just be causing some potters not to get
involved.

The Empty Bowls project started out with bowls made by high
school kids, and many projects are still done that way. For those
projects, a set price of $10 or $15 seems totally reasonable. But if
we are asking professionals to donate their highly skilled work, I
think the least we can do in appreciation is to get the most out of
their donation by pricing it appropriately.

I have great respect for all the potters who choose to donate to
Empty Bowls events around the country, and I want them to keep
doing it, not get burned out. If individual pricing accomplishes that,
I think it's worth the effort, although I reserve the right to whine if I
have to do all the work....